A great event provokes reflection

I know I’ve raised all kinds of issues in recent posts that deserve follow-up, so let me be up-front—I can’t follow up right now. Sorry. There was just an event I was involved with last week which was so wonderful I had to write about it.

The great and warm (snicker, snicker) state of Minnesota in which I reside groups public schools into conferences. The schools within a conference will repeatedly beat each other up on the football field and hockey rink, yet collaborate convivially in matters such as music. The Northwest Suburban Conference—an area near Minneapolis which includes towns with such picturesque names as Coon Rapids, Elk River, Osseo and Maple Grove—just had a music festival highlighted by rehearsals and performances by an honors choir, orchestra and band (I guest-conducted the orchestra) as well as public performances/workshops, called clinics, by 28 ensembles from ten conference high schools (I served as a clinician—kind of a guest teacher—to eight orchestras). Herewith, several observations about the event:

1) Music breaks down barriers. So what if it’s a cliché? It’s true. The students represented different income levels, ethnic groups, personality types, etc. Some probably would be my close friends if I were an awkward, geeky teenager again, others perhaps wouldn’t. It mattered not—our common purpose overrode all differences as we worked towards musical development and an excellent concert.

2) Preparation is key. The kids in the honors orchestra had met over two weekends before I rehearsed with them. Other conductors—teachers from their schools—rehearsed them so that they were well-prepared for our first rehearsal together. Also, all conference logistics had been thought out, down to the smallest detail, and the activities director at the event’s host high school was highly involved (Kelley Scott, you rock!).

3) Administrators, take notice—arts bring out the best in your students! You want to teach them about balancing common purpose with individuality, emotion with reason, intelligence with physicality, exaltation with self-control—what’s comparable to music? These kids worked very hard—basically five hours of nearly non-stop activity on Sunday, and then either rehearsing, hearing or performing music from 8am to 9pm Monday—and they kept on task. Oh, and don’t tell me it’s the successful kids who take arts classes—rather, arts classes make successful kids—successful in academic subjects, behavior, concentration, creativity, thoughtfulness, etc. Why, just click on this link, or this one, or this one (page 12 is good). The ancient Greeks considered music an essential part of good education, not an extra—and we’re overdue for such thinking today!

4) It matters little what kind of music it is, as long as it’s played well. Audiences at both the clinics and final concert responded most vigorously not to a particular kind of music, but to the most soulful and polished performances. Trust me, if you’ve got both those qualities—honest expression and high-quality presentation—people respond. They want to be touched and entertained.

I’ll finish up by saying thanks to all the students, teachers and staff in the Northwest Suburban Conference who gave their all last week and created such a great event. Also, if you’re concerned about music budget cuts in your school, please look at the links above and share the information with administrators. And I promise to get back soon to issues raised in previous posts, including readers’ replies.